Unwell & Unfiltered: Matt Copley on Allegoria, Broadway Punk, and Finding Balance Beyond the Stage

Unwell & Unfiltered: Matt Copley on Allegoria, Broadway Punk, and Finding Balance Beyond the Stage

Detroit’s Unwell is rewriting the rules of pop punk—one emotionally charged anthem at a time. With their upcoming album Allegoria dropping November 7th via Pure Noise Records, frontman Matt Copley sat down to talk genre-bending creativity, mental health honesty, and the unexpected journey from musical theater stages to opening for The Used. From TikTok virality to DIY grit, Unwell is carving out a space that’s as theatrical as it is raw. In this candid conversation, Matt shares the stories behind the songs, the whirlwind of touring life, and why Allegoria is more than just an album—it’s a world of its own.

We’re here with Matt from Unwell. Matt, where are you guys based out of, and what is your local music scene like?
We’re based out of Detroit, Michigan—specifically the Metro Detroit area. The music scene here is pretty interesting for our genre. There’s a really strong hardcore scene, with venues like Edgeman and the Russell Industrial Center hosting a lot of great shows. So yeah, hardcore is alive and well. But when it comes to our style—pop punk with metalcore influences—it’s a bit sparse. There aren’t many bands in our lane coming up around here right now. That said, Detroit has a vibrant and diverse music scene overall, especially with hip hop. There’s tons of hip hop here. It’s a cool place to be musically—I just wish there were more bands like us.

How did you wind up signing with Pure Noise Records?
It was kind of a culmination of a few things. After we released our second record, Trial and Error, Jake Round—the founder and president of Pure Noise—started following us on Instagram and other social media. I think that’s when they began paying attention to what we were doing. Our manager at the time reached out just to connect, and Jake was interested in what we were writing. A few months later, we sent them some of the new material—which eventually became Allegoria, our upcoming album. He listened to a couple of tracks and was like, “Yeah, let’s do it.” So long story short, we got the deal done based on just a couple of songs.

Allegoria—what’s the story or concept behind that title?
The title has two meanings for us. The first—and probably the stronger one—is that each song on the album is its own allegory. There are a lot of different stories and emotions throughout the record. It’s not a concept album with a single storyline; each track stands on its own. Once we started leaning into this medieval, dark fantasy vibe, we really liked how “allegories” sounded in Latin—allegoria. That became the central theme.

The second meaning came as we developed the visual side of the album. We started imagining Allegoria as a fictional place we created through the music and artwork. So, it’s both a collection of allegorical songs and a world we built around them.

Let’s talk about a few of the songs. Starting with Miracle—what inspired that one?
Miracle was actually the last song we wrote. We had about 11 or 12 tracks already, but we weren’t feeling strongly about some of them. So we said, “Let’s try one more,” and that ended up being Miracle, written during the final sessions. It’s a really empowering song, both musically and instrumentally. I love that it opens the record—the intro feels like the clouds parting, sunlight pouring through, and the orchestra setting the stage for the world of Allegoria. It’s a powerful way to kick things off and gives listeners a solid preview of what’s to come in the rest of the album.

A Throne of Velvet Roses—what’s the vibe there?
That one’s a feel-good track. It’s all about falling in love, being in love, and just living in that moment. It’s a love-centered song, plain and simple. It captures that euphoric feeling of connection and warmth.

And Craven—the other single—what’s the story behind that one?
Craven is kind of our nod to our earlier work. When we started out, our first record had a lot of heavy pop punk—very traditional beats and melodies. Craven is our throwback to that style. It’s the most classic pop punk song on the album, with catchy hooks and big singalong moments. It felt good to include something that ties back to our roots while still fitting into the broader sound of Allegoria.

With pop punk, you rarely see bands that have songs like Torture on their records.
Yeah, yeah—100%. I think Allegoriais a really diverse record, and we love being a diverse band. We don’t love labeling ourselves strictly as pop punk, or really any one genre. We just write music that inspires us and tells our story. If that’s a traditional-sounding pop punk song like Craven, then that’s what we write. But if we’re dealing with mental health struggles or feeling angry at ourselves, we write a song like Torture.

We don’t like setting parameters when we’re creating in the studio. We just make what feels right. And we’re lucky to have a label like Pure Noise that lets us explore different genres and touch on various parts of the musical spectrum. We’re really fortunate to have a team that supports our artistic vision.

What was it like opening for The Used? They recently played out here in Los Angeles.
Yeah, dude—they’ve been on what feels like a world tour for a year or two now. Opening for them was wild. We were already on tour with The Amity Affliction earlier this year, and we found out mid-tour that we’d be opening for The Used just a few days after that run ended. So we basically played the same set.

It was kind of a whirlwind. We had a super late load-in—like 4:30 or 5:00 p.m.—then we sound checked, got shown to our green room, and it was pretty much time to play. After our set, we headed out to the lobby to sell merch, and then the night was over. It all happened so fast. We passed The Used members in the hallway and said what’s up, but it was very in-and-out.

I wish we had more time to really soak it in and appreciate the moment. But it was still amazing—easily the biggest crowd we’ve ever played to, by like a thousand people. So yeah, it was really, really cool.

You’re about to go on tour with Belmont, Avoid, and Super Sometimes. What are you looking forward to most about that tour?
I’m really looking forward to hearing all that music live every night. Admittedly, I’m not super familiar with Super Sometimes yet, but I’ve been listening to Avoid and Belmont for a while. I think it’s going to be a heavy-hitting tour. I’ve seen both of those bands live—they’re super energetic, high-energy, and in-your-face.

We bring a lot of that same energy to our live shows too, so I think anyone coming out is in for a night of fun, high-octane performances. I’m just excited to perform every night, open for these bands, get the crowd warmed up, and then enjoy their sets. They’re professionals, and it’s always inspiring to watch pros do their thing.

One of the stops is in Pomona, near Los Angeles. Have you played in LA before?
Yeah, a couple times. Let me think… We’ve played Chain Reaction, which I know is in Anaheim. And we played The Troubadour in West Hollywood while touring with Broadside and Bearings. That was a really cool venue—small but iconic.

I’m trying to remember if we’ve played anywhere else in LA proper. It’s usually been on the outskirts. That West Hollywood show was probably the most “in LA” we’ve been. We’ve also played in places like Bakersfield, though I’m not sure how far that is from LA.

So you were near the Sunset Strip. What did you think of that area?
I love LA. I love the mountains out there, and just being in that environment. For Unwell, it’s a good market. Both times we’ve played in LA, the crowds were really different, so it’s hard to get a solid read on where we fit into the scene. But we’ll be back this fall and a lot next year, so hopefully we’ll get a better sense of the vibe and how we connect with audiences out there.

Tell me about the Broadway Does Punk project you’re involved with.
Yeah, so I used to make pop punk covers of Broadway songs—or rock, metalcore, whatever genre you want to call it. It was a lot of fun. It actually started on TikTok as a way to promote our very first record as Unwell, New Moons. TikTok was just blowing up at the time, and we wanted to tap into that momentum.

We brainstormed the idea for Broadway Does Punk because I have a bachelor’s degree in musical theater and grew up doing musicals. It felt like a cool crossover, and I found my authentic voice through it. I think it really struck a chord with people—audiences connected with it, and it kind of blew up on TikTok. I ended up making pop punk covers of Broadway songs for a few years, and yeah, it was a really cool experience.

You look like you stepped out of the Newsies cast—and you’ve actually done Newsies, right?
Oh my god, yeah—dude, I did Newsies when I was in college, during the summer of 2017. It was right after my freshman year. I performed at this little theater in the middle of nowhere Indiana, and we did Newsies in the round. It was sick. It was so hard—but so fun.

Do you have any other theater projects on the horizon?
Not at the moment. I’d love to step back into it, though. I haven’t been in a show since I graduated college in 2020, mostly because of COVID. Shows weren’t happening for a couple of years, and then I got busy with the band. I’ve auditioned for a few bigger projects recently—nothing’s worked out yet, but I’m keeping my eye out.

I’m not actively pursuing theater as much as I’m focused on the band, but when opportunities pop up that make sense, I’m always down to audition. It’s what I went to school for—I had a talent agent right out of college. But the timing was rough with COVID, and there was no work. So I ended up dropping my agents and staying in Michigan. But it’s all good. The cards played out the way they were supposed to.

Are you currently involved with any other bands or projects outside of Unwell?
No—musically, Unwell is my whole heart and vision. I don’t want to spread myself too thin creatively. I still work during the day doing home remodeling, which I’m passionate about too. I love working with my hands, building things, creating stuff. That’s a part of my life I really enjoy right now.

I’ve found a really happy balance between doing what I love at home and feeling fulfilled with the band. If Unwell takes off more and I can do it full-time, I’d absolutely love that. But for now, I’m really happy focusing artistically on Unwell and personally on the work I do with my hands.

Do you have any messages for music fans in the Los Angeles area who are reading this?
I’d just like to say hi and introduce ourselves. We’re making our rounds—this is our first record on Pure Noise, Allegoria. I hope people give it a listen, enjoy it, and have a good time with it. If they’re looking for new music, I’d love to see them at the shows in Pomona or anywhere nearby when we’re out there.

We’re a DIY band that loves playing small local bars in Detroit, and we also love playing huge shows with bands like The Used or The Amity Affliction. We have a great time no matter how big the crowd is. So I hope we get to meet a lot of new fans in LA.

And one more message—keep doing what you love, even if it doesn’t mean you’ll be famous. I used to think I shouldn’t try something unless I knew I could be the best at it. Whether it was music, construction, or anything else, I felt like I had to be all-in or not at all. But I don’t think that way anymore.

I think it’s important to explore whatever you’re feeling—artistically, professionally, personally. Keep your eyes open, lead with your heart, and take things as they come. If something pulls you in more than something else, go with it. That’s something I wish I’d told myself when I was younger: don’t define everything so rigidly. Just live a good life.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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